PM Modi to inaugurate NMDC's plant, new rail lines in Chhattisgarh's Bastar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation or lay foundation stones of several projects worth Rs 26,000 crore, including the NMDC's steel plant, at Jagdalpur city in poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, where he will also address a public meeting.

Incidentally, the Congress has called for a 'bandh' (shutdown) in the region during the PM's visit alleging the Modi government wants to privatise the steel plant, which is located in Nagarnar village, some 22 kilometres from Jagdalpur in Bastar district. It will be PM Modi's fourth visit in the last two-and-half months to the Congress-ruled state, where assembly elections are due by this year-end.

"The PM's programme will be held at 11 am at Lalbag Maidan in Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Bastar district. He will dedicate to the nation the greenfield NMDC Steel Ltd's steel plant built at a cost of more than Rs 23,800 crore in Nagarnar," a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release said.

"It will produce high quality steel and provide employment opportunities to thousands of people in the plant as well as in ancillary and downstream industries," it added.

The PM will also dedicate a new rail line between Antagarh and Tadoki and a rail line doubling project between Jagdalpur and Dantewada. He will lay the foundation stone of Boridand-Surajpur rail line doubling project and redevelopment of Jagdalpur station under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, as well as flag off the Tadoki-Raipur DEMU train service, it said.

"The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation a road upgradation project from Kunkuri (Jashpur district) to Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand border section of National Highway-43," the PIB release said.

The PM will subsequently address the 'Parivartan Mahasankalp rally' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the same venue from a different stage.

A police official said a multi-layered security blanket, involving personnel of the state police and contingents of Special Protection Group (SPG), has been put in place in the area.